Volunteers' rights and responsibilities

Volunteers' rights and responsibilities

VOLUNTEERS HAVE THE RIGHT to expect that the organizations they work for:

Assign suitable tasks to volunteers which respect their training and experience, both personal and professional, as well as their personal interests.

Furnish precise job descriptions to volunteers, stating tasks, responsibilities and role in the organization.

Indicate clearly to volunteers what their schedule is and to whom they report.

Offer volunteers suitable training for the jobs assigned.

Offer regular ongoing training allowing volunteers to update their knowledge or take on greater responsibility.

Offer volunteers the chance to be promoted or to be transfered to new projects, or to other activities allowing them to acquire more varied experience.

Treat volunteers as full members of the organization and consider them colleagues rather than mere unpaid help.

Offer support, resources and structure to volunteers.

Offer regular feedback to volunteers on their work.

Listen to what volunteers have to say.

Furnish proper supervision by competent and patient individuals who have the time to offer advice and guidance to volunteers.

Furnish a workspace suitable for the assigned task.

Allow volunteers to participate in the planning and development of new projects, and encourage them to make suggestions with the assurance that their opinions will be respected.

Show appropriate and tangible recognition of volunteer effort (e.g., through offering new responsibilities, giving prizes or simply showing on a day-to-day basis that the volunteers' work is appreciated and valued by the organization).

Inform volunteers about the organization's policies with respect to certain benefits available to them, such as the reimbursement of expenses.

Offer volunteers any other information which may concern them.

AN ORGANIZATION HAS THE RIGHT to expect that its volunteers:

Be open and honest about their motivations and goals.

Understand what a job requires before accepting it.

Carry out their tasks efficiently and honestly.

Accept guidance and supervision from the person in charge of volunteers.

Participate in any training offered by the organization.

Respect confidentiality.

Express to the volunteer coordinator their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the job assigned and suggest improvements or changes.

Notify the coordinator as soon as possible if they are unable to attend a training session or carry out their assigned duties.